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I hope you got to watch the Season Finale of Daphne Dishes. Backyard Camping. Check out recipes here. It was great to make the 13 episodes for season 2 and I worked with such lovely people. Everyone was super kind and supportive of my kids which is was my first priority.

crew photo

shooting Daphne Dishes

friend and Production assistant takes my kids to school

My kids are good sports about having a wacky mom who has a camera enter their home at regular intervals. First for Coolmom and Momversation and now Daphne Dishes. They are use to people being in our home and are happy to see them when they return.

kitchen crew Daphne Dishes

You can’t do this alone! Food Producer Tim Macklin, Food stylist David Domedion ( who also works with Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond), Food stylist Sarah Blair. They make the food look pretty for beauties and help me figure out how to make things look better, taste better from my original idea. For example: I make something and it’s not quite right to me. We all stick our spoons in it, “needs more honey, needs a bit of lime juice, no, I think it’s fine, etc” While the camera folk are standing around waiting for us to make up our mind. We had a tight schedule for season 2 and Mark was busy with Bombo opening so Sarah and I worked form 10 to 8 every day a for a week before shooting testing recipes. Some were not finalized till we were on set. Tim always let Rex play a game on his phone when he asked. Sarah was very motherly to the kids. Nice people.

I like to work with people I’ve worked with before. So our second camera was Chung Ming Huang, who shot some of my best Cool mom Vids and even made a cameo once

Make up and hair artist Crystal Bernal ( oh I wish I could the braids she can do) and Brittany Merideth, stylist Lauren Francis. I worked with them all at TV Guide Channel. Lauren has dressed me, skinny, fat, pregnant, not pregnant, crying after my dad’s death, inbetween nursing. She is unflappable and always sees me prettier than I see myself. Which is nice when you are getting naked in front of people! Lauren always let Vivien be her assistant when she came home from school. Viv has an eye! Vivien hates getting her hair cut, but one day she allowed Crystal to give her a trim.

with stylist Lauren Francis..I’m doing my mean look

Our super sweet producer Craig Anderson of Concentric. He took us out to dinner the day we shot our last shot for Season 2. Food Network had me meet a few producers when we were figuring out this show and I picked Craig. He has a very warm vibe, he is a dad and was gentle with all of us as he helped me loosen up and be myself doing the hardest hosting I’ve ever done. Cooking and talk to camera is more difficult than it looks!

typical exchange when we worked on the pilot

“what are you doing?”

“stirring”

“Why?”

“so it blends, so it doesn’t burn”

“Say that to camera”

“Ok”

“smile when you talk”

“Oh”

“does this make you think of something.”

“um.. um “

“did your mom make you this?”

“Oh, no she never made she would make..”

“Okay, tell us that story.”

“Ok”

“smile”

I do my thing

Craig, “That was great!”

Me: “it was?”

impossible to get a screen grab where I don’t look crazy. Hazards of an expressive nature

So, obviously I hope we are back for more. I have lot’s of recipes riffing off stuff I tasted in Europe and just fooling around as I slowly got my colon back in order. Thanks to all the folks who watch and gave us nice tweets and such. Keep going back and look up recipes. I know I do! If you missed any the shows are on itunes.

For those of you who are just finding my site through the show here is one of my more successful and madcap videos. It’s sort of food.. muffin.. except, not. Happy cooking.

I’m about to hit the road for a few days, so let me give you this vintage nugget. It’s only a couple years old, but with netlfix, ipads, it seems quite retro. When Rex was smaller he made it so I couldn’t watch the shows I want to watch when my kids go to sleep.

Am I a young woman’s worst nightmare, or future buddy? If I raise Rex to be good to the woman in his life I’m gold, if he has all kind of f–ed up mother issues some chick will be trashing me which she goes to lunch with her girlfriends. By they way, if it’s a future boyfriend, that’s fine too.

Do mothers shape the boyfriends of tomorrow? Am I messing him up? Do I care?

“Rex, you never use your train table anymore. May I give this to someone who will use it?” No way. He wants it. All those train tracks, all those trains are never touched, but the table stays. It is helpful when I vacuum his floor.

The big days of Thomas have declined. A day I once hoped for.

But, he still likes his Thomas desk. So, how long does is the residual nature of a beloved early childhood character? I think it goes pretty deep. I just recently bought the first Partridge Family album. Putting on “Umbrella Man” take me back to the halcyon days of sitting on our old concrete porch staring at the record play on my red and white battery operated record player. The Bell Record label going round and round.

Day 4 of my son home from school. Yesterday was fine. I took him on my quarterly golf outing. He was pretty good and it’s not a morning I expected to be productive. My golfing buddy was charmed by him and he loved washing the balls.

We went out to lunch and he was good and tuckered after 9 holes. As we neared home I thought, “boy he sure is quiet.” When I turned around I saw this is how he had gone to sleep.

But, today the mischievous, wild man is working me. While I try to work, he climbs on me, screams in my ear, I got smacked around a little. I took away his TV time ( mistake, made it worse), tried a time out. He got out. I finally put him in the backyard and shut the door. Lordy, I’m just trying to work a bit, trying to make a couple of nickels in a world that charges way too much for health insurance. Wait, not world. Country.

Little scamp is now ringing the back door bell which makes the dog bark loudly. It’s like he wants me to be poor.

We just got back from a fun camping trip with families from Rex’s pre school. Rex is part of the “cool Senior set” 4 and 5 year olds who are all about to chuck the sand box for long hours of structured learning. Oh, they have no idea what a buzz kill that will be.

I have bagged the trip before because it always falls on my birthday ( thanks, thanks), but because it’s our swan song we went. So glad we did. Great time, great people and being sung to by a campfire as I look up at stars ( non existent in LA) is a nice way to bring a new year in. Though why I had to hear so many times “29 again?” Chortle, chortle. Hey, why is it SO funny that I would be 29? Do I look THAT bad?

One bummer was that oddly NOT ONE family had an older sibling Viv’s age. There was on 7 year old boy, but different universe. Not one older sister. Note, to self, if we go again kidnap a third grade girl for the weekend, “don’t worry, we will take care of her and bring back on Sunday.”

LOTS of people with little kids. I loved holding the occasional baby. That sweet new human smell they have is like NOTHING else. It’s a primal connection. Nature knows what it is doing. I whiff that and I would take that child in and make them my own if needed. HOWEVER, all the toddlers, 3 year olds only made me pat myself on that back for demanding my husband get a vasectomy. Seeing so many people trying to reason, cajole their 2 and 3 year olds gave a tiny bit of glee. I don’t have to deal with this ( much) anymore.

The irrational, no reason, OCD, crazy people that rule you. No thanks. My fiver old is no walk in the walk. I don’t want to go through that again. So, I looked for a snap shot of when I was in that mode. When all you can do is crack up, or find the comedy.

Between the flu and my tummy bug I think I am going to need to apply for disability. One more day of this and I can fit into my wedding dress. So, I’m going to let someone else talk on video. As some of you may know I’m an entrenched intactivist. I’m a solidly against routine circumcision. It’s one of those things that America excels at that other countries do not partake in. File under: no national health system, huge rates of incarceration and super size sodas.

I stumbled upon this video by one of those cute young gals on YouTube that talk straight to camera and use an earnestness and jump cuts. This gal is RIGHT ON. It’s a video I watched and thought “I could not have said it better”. So please watch Laci Green and bring the whole baby home.

Valentine’s day means a day of cooking and baking. I’m getting ready for Rex’s birthday party (on his birthday) on the 15th. He was a planned c- section and I didn’t want his birthday crowded out by a sea of red hearts, which is one reason I picked the 15th. Though I said to him today, you could have been born till the 21st, so if you ever want to move your birthday around, it’s fine.

helping me out

To honor my son and frequent co star I thought I would feature some of the “Best of Rex” on Coolmom. His career here piqued before he went to preschool 5 days a week. Come Fall he will be a kinder ( wipe me off the floor).

So, here is Rex on his First birthday and I discuss the differences between having your first and your second kid.

This one came out of Rex’s frequent trips into my wallet. I lost things, things were in the wrong place. But, I thought, hey why think of this as a negative? Maybe he is really helpful. He is providing a service.

Enjoy Your day after Valentine’s day. Or as I think of it, Rex’s birthday.

My son my sidekick is acting different. I can only conclude one thing… the effect of the government shut down is spreading. (spouses who want fend off their partners can create their own shutdown. Badda bing)